Oct 11, 2019
Tunstall Healthcare took home the ‘Technology in Care Homes’ award at the ‘Leaders in Care Awards’ held on 9th October, for its work with NHS Calderdale Clinical Commissioning Group and their Quest for Quality in Care Homes programme.
The award recognises how the growing use of technology in the care home sector is paramount to driving efficiencies and providing person-centred care, with the shortlist highlighting the most innovative technology suppliers serving the UK care home industry.
Tunstall’s three-times award-winning initiative has involved 1,300 care home residents across 38 homes since 2013, with a multidisciplinary team and care home staff working to improve care and prevent avoidable emergency hospital attendances and GP visits – typically for urinary tract and respiratory infections, falls and fractures. The programme uses Tunstall’s telecare and telemonitoring systems and technology to support individual care plans for residents, enabling a more preventative and integrated approach.
Evaluation of the first two years of the programme (2014-16) showed:
The latest results show how telecare is helping to prevent falls in care homes. In the last year (2017/18 to 2018/19), admissions to hospital related to falls as a result of fractures have reduced by 18.6%, resulting in savings of more than £300,000.
Gavin Bashar, UK & Ireland Managing Director at Tunstall Healthcare commented on the award win: “To be recognised as a leader in the care home technology space is a huge honour for our team who, alongside NHS Calderdale CCG and other stakeholders, have worked tirelessly to monitor and improve the lives of people living in care homes.
“The project has created a new model for care delivery which is replicable and scalable, and addresses the challenge of care home residents being disproportionate users of health services.”
Rhona Radley, Deputy Head of Service Improvement, NHS Calderdale Clinical Commissioning Group said: “We’re delighted to see Tunstall win this award, it recognises the people who have worked so hard to make the Quest for Quality in Care Homes one of the most successful services of its kind in the country.
“It has not only generated efficiencies in terms of staff workload and reduced the impact on primary and secondary care, but it has improved the quality of care delivered, changing the lives of hundreds of residents for the better.”
The Award was accepted by Tunstall’s Service Development Manager Angus Honeysett and Telehealthcare Development Consultant Tracey Russell, at a ceremony last night at the Birmingham Hilton Metropole.
